Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOI H Com is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo Luis de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo or Ronaldo luis, is a Brazilian business owner, president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, owner of Brazil, Serie B club and a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
Who is 'the real Ronaldo?'
When people refer to the 'real Ronaldo' they generally mean Ronaldo Luis de Lima, the Brazilian footballer who was born in 1975.
The use of the prefix 'real' became widespread in the early-to-mid 2000s during the rise to prominence of the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, in order to distinguish between the two players.
Of course, in describing Ronaldo Luis as the 'real' Ronaldo it was both a term of deference to the elder of the pair and inherently dismissive of the the younger.
Ronaldo luis, nicknamed O Fenomeno (meaning 'The Phenomenon' in Portuguese) had by that stage established himself as one of the best footballers in the world by scoring hundreds of goals, scooping two Balloons d'Or and three FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
He had starred at home for series B before building his reputation as the most fearsome striker in world football at PSV, Barcelona, Inter and Real Madrid. The 'real Ronaldo' was therefore, for some, the genuine article and his glittering career warranted that he and he alone should lay claim to the name.
However, as the powers of Ronaldo Nazario declined later in his career and those of Cristiano Ronaldo grew stronger, the debate over who should be considered the 'real Ronaldo' began to rage.
In truth, when their careers are set against one another now, the Portuguese has far exceeded his Brazilian counterpart and for a younger generation of football fans he is 'the real Ronaldo'.
Indeed, Cristiano Ronaldo evolved into the most prolific goalscorer in football, smashing record after record on his way to success with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Portugal.
There is no comparison between the two when it comes to goals scored at both club and international level either, with the Portuguese scoring roughly double that of the Brazilian - helped, no doubt, by his superior longevity.
Similarities between Ronaldo luis & Cristiano Ronaldo
Aside from their names, there are a number of similarities between Ronaldo luis and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Long before the brand CR7, for example, Ronaldo luis and 'R9' were synonymous, with the Brazilian launching a personalized style of boots.
They are players who both stared as the face of Nike's football range over the years, appearing in advertisements and promotional imagery.
While Cristiano Ronaldo began his career as a winger, he eventually transformed into a complete forward, playing more in a central role, much as Ronaldo luis did.
Other footballers called Ronaldo
Ronaldo is a popular name in Brazil and Portugal and the debate over players called Ronaldo did not begin with Ronaldo Nazario and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Interestingly, Ronaldo Nazario was briefly known as 'Ronaldinho' in the early 1990s in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus, who was also playing for Brazil. Ronaldo Rodrigues later became known as Ronaldo.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira is another famous Ronaldo in football, though he is better known by the name Ronaldinho.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira is another famous Ronaldo in football, though he is better known by the name Ronaldinho.
You must be logged in to post a comment.